Military Connection: Who is General Linda Singh?

By Joe Silva

As someone who has served, I have personally seen someone with stars on their uniform walk by and stood in awe of them. In my earlier experiences, it was the gravitas of their rank. In my later experiences, my awe was due to the weight of their great responsibility and what those officers must have achieved in order to reach this point in their careers.

On January 21, 2015 General Singh became the 29^th adjutant general of Maryland. Her position essentially makes her the senior adviser to the state’s governor and head of Maryland’s military department. She is also commander of the 6,700+ members of Maryland’s Army National Guard and Air National Guard, and hundreds more civilian employees and volunteers that respond to state-emergencies. The two-star general is Maryland’s first female and first African-American to serve as adjutant general.

While this is quite a feat for anyone, this is just another accomplishments in a long list from an extraordinary person, who credits the National Guard for changing her life. Before enlisting, Singh had a childhood filled with abuse, eventually dropping out of high school. She enlisted in the Maryland National Guard in 1981, and served for eleven years as an enlisted soldier before earning a commission. She was deployed to Kosovo and Afghanistan, earning several medals and honors, including the Bronze Star. General Singh’s military career has lasted over 34 years.

Singh earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Columbia Union College in Takoma Park, Maryland; a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Touro International University in New York, as well as the Army War college and the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.

Along with her education and military experience, Singh maintains a corporate career at Accenture, a management consulting, technology services and outsourcing firm. She is also married and a mother of two.

It is fair to say that Major General Singh has been there and done that. So, when members of the Maryland National Guard see their two-star adjutant general, they should be in awe. But not just for her rank and title, or even the great responsibility she now bears; but for her achievements as a person, as a soldier, as a business woman and a wife and mother. She is a great role model for all soldiers, and the embodiment of “Army Strong.”

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